Research Point: Degas Monoprints

Look at Monoprints by Degas. How have these been achieved? How Successful are they? Take a close look at one or two of his prints, print them out an annotate them. What can you learn from his prints? Make notes in your learning log. 

Degas was first introduced to the monoprint technique by a fellow artist Ludovic-Napoléon Lepic. In fact the first monoprint signed by Degas was also signed by Lepic which suggests they collaborated on its production. The image is shown below and shows rehearsals at the Paris Opéra.(1)

(1)The Ballet Master (Le Maître de ballet) c.1876 Degas and
Lepic. White chalk or opaque watercolour over monotype
on paper

After his first introduction to the technique. Degas became very prolific and almost obsessive with the technique. He produced large numbers of works (over 300) in two discrete periods of his career from the mid 1870s to the mid 1880s and a shorter period in the early 1890s (2).

His obsession with this way of working was noted and remarked upon by fellow artists, such that he started to be identified with the materials - almost as if he had lost himself in the medium. To quote Marcellin Desboutin in 1876 Degas " is no longer a friend, a man, an artist! He's a zinc or copper plate blackened with printer's ink, and plate and man are flattened together by his printing press whose mechanism has swallowed him completely!" (2)

This obsessive concentration on the technique served him well and he produced wonderful lively monotypes. He was so familiar with the technique and medium that he was able to really push the monotype as far as he could and to improvise. Many of the works seem to have a spontaneity about them and this makes them lively and exciting. They look as though they have been rapidly executed and so contain the artist's energy. Degas described his monotypes as " drawings made with greasy ink and put through a press" (2) which tells us something about the process of their making but only takes us so far. More can be gleaned from looking closely at the prints. 

How have these been achieved?

Degas mainly used plates made from copper or zinc. He also occasionally used daguerreotype plates and celluloid (having the advantage of being transparent for tracing images but not generally his preferred type of plate) (3). He used oil based ink which was designed for etching (ground pigment mixed with boiled linseed oil) and he added small amounts of brown of blue pigment to make the colour warmer of cooler. He worked both in an additive manner and in a subtractive manner - that is he produced prints with a light background by painting and drawing with the ink onto the plate and he produced prints with dark backgrounds by covering the plate with an even layer of black ink and then drawing in negative by removing ink with various tools (3)

The dark field (subtractive) monotypes were printed from larger plates than the light field ones. This is perhaps because he found removing ink with rags and brushes was too difficult on a small plate - he needed more space as the tools are relatively clumsy.(3)

For the additive monotypes he diluted the ink to make it less viscous and facilitate application with brushes and fingers. In the example in figure 2 below, the ink seems to have been manipulated rapidly. The faces are not definitively stated but only suggested which gives a feeling of movement. 

(2) Head of Man and Woman (Home et femme, en buste)
c. 1877-80 (British Museum London)

With subtractive monotypes he used a more viscous ink because it would stay put and not obscure the marks he made by removing it. 

(3)The Fireside (Le Foyer (la Cheminée)) c. 1880-85
(Metropolitan Museum of Art)

He made the marks on the black ink by rubbing with stiff brushes, his fingers, rags, wooden brush handles and sponges. He also sometimes applied solvents (3)

Many of his monotypes employed a combination of subtractive and additive methods. Such as the example in figure 4. 

(4) Pauline and Virginie Conversing with
Admirers(Pauline et Virginie bavardant avec 
des admirateurs) c 1876-77

For this print he started by painting the dark figures and the corridor using different concentrations of ink for the different shades of grey and black. He has used some quite thin washes of ink in places. He then created the effect of light streaming in through the doorways subtractively by wiping away ink. (3)

In his later phase of monoprinting, in which Degas produced predominantly landscapes, he experimented with using oil paints instead of printing inks. This increased the unpredictability of what would happen in the press as the oil paints were more likely to run and move about than the stiffer inks. Unfortunately, with the passage of time the ink has leached out of the oil paints into the paper leaving a 'halo'. 

(5) Landscape (Paysage). 1892 - Pastel over monotype in oil on
able paper (now faded to off white) mounted on board
(Metropolitan Museum of Art)

These landscapes are simplified almost to the point of abstraction. This reflects the way he worked on these. They are not made from direct observation of the subject. He was inspired to produce these monotypes by the view from a train journey. Maybe this vagueness comes from the fleeting glimpse of the passing landscape? Or perhaps it could be because time passed between seeing the landscape and being near a press to produce the images? Either way it seems to be a deliberate move away from detail and over-stating. Degas said that it was important to reproduce only what "struck you, that is to say the necessary. That way your memories and your fantasy are freed from the tyranny of nature".(4)

I have used the term 'monotype' throughout this description of technique, because in many cases, Degas produced more than one image from a single plate. He would often pull a second 'ghost' print (or 'cognate') from a plate after the first print. He also produced 'counter proofs' - that is he printed from the surface of a wet print onto another piece of paper resulting in a reversal of the image. (2). In some cases he altered the image between the first and second print by adding more ink or paint in places producing different 'states' of the same print. (2)

Where cognates or counter proofs were produced, in may cases Degas worked back into these using either pastel, opaque watercolour or a combination of media to produce more detailed drawings. As in the example below:

(6) Three Ballet Dancers (Trois danseuses) c 1878
Monotype on paper (Sterling and Francine
Clark Art Institute)

(7) Ballet Scene (Scène de ballet) c. 1879 Pastel over monotype
on paper (William I. Koch Collection)

As well as the ink used, the paper choices are also important. Degas used China papers, western laid papers, western wove papers and occasionally Bristol board. (3) His choice was dependent on what kind of image he was aiming to produce. The asian papers were thin and absorbent and took the ink very well so they could be used if he wanted delicate brush marks to be seen. (3)

Laid paper has a marked texture because of the way it is produced. This texture is exploited and gives texture to the ink in his monotype of ironing women. This reduces the crispness and legibility of the shapes and therefore contributes to the illusion of movement:

(8) Ironing women (detail) (Les Repasseuses) c. 1877-79
(private collection)

How successful are they?

Very! is the flippant answer to that question. However I will go into some more detail about why I think these are successful works: 

Firstly, thinking about them in the context of the impressionist movement which had turned the norms of fine art on its head by starting to elevate the everyday into a suitable subject for works of art, the monotype is a way of working rapidly. In this way the aim of reproducing a fleeting sensation is served well. (1). For example in figure (2) 'Head of Man and Woman', the faces are barely legible. This really gives a sense of motion perhaps in a bustling Parisian street. 

My personal favourites are the dark ground images of women going about their ablutions or lounging around and getting in and out of bed. Such as the examples shown below: 

(9) The Tub 1876-77 (Biblioteque l'institut national
d'histoire de l'art - Paris)

(10) Woman Drying Her Feet (Femme
s'essuyant les pieds, près de sa baignoire)
1880-85 (Musée D'Orsay, Paris)

The subtractive way of working here achieves a wonderful quality of light - it is particularly effective for giving an impression of low lamplight in a darkened room because there is marked contrast between light and dark but the forms are not clearly delineated and seem to almost dissolve into the gloom. It looks as though Degas had drawn with the light itself. Crucially, however he has known when to stop drawing in order to give just the right amount of suggestion of form to make it legible but without being so overt as to lose the mystery. There is a balance here between the honesty of depiction of the everyday and the execution in leaving some concealment to allow for the use of the viewer's imagination. 

There is perhaps something a bit furtive or voyeuristic about these images. They are all images of prostitutes and you can almost imagine the artist lurking in the almost-dark and capturing their private unguarded (and nocturnal) moments. Are these simply erotic for the purposes of titillation or are they exploratory tonal studies in which the subject matter is incidental? It is difficult to be sure. These monotypes were not displayed until after Degas's death and he didn't mention them in his writings. It is therefore not possible to know his motivation. (5)

Around the same time as these images were reproduced, the advent of photography had resulted in the appearance of pornographic images of naked women. Some of Degas's models assume similar poses to the women in these photographs. However the distinction is in the fact that they are pictured as an integral part of their environment and they do not engage with the viewer but carry on with their activities without appearing self conscious. Also they do not have the same stark realistic precision as a photograph does. Raisa Rexer says- " In this comparison with pornography, the seeming illegibility of the brothel monotypes, the strange dissonance between their indecent content and their compositional innovations, resolves into clarity. That dissonance is their achievement: a simultaneous evocation and disavowal of pornography, a form whose significance rests on the content it belies. The two qualities that seem so opposed are in fact completely intertwined. Degas's feat is equally remarkable in social and aesthetic terms; whatever his personal involvement with the prostitution industry may have been, he created images that constitute as much an exposé of the traffic in the female body as they do an artistic revolution"(5)

The later, landscape monotypes are also successful apart from in the choice of oil paint on paper which has resulted in leaching of oil in to the paper. My preference, however is for the more abstract pure monotypes which have less legibility in terms of form and pictorial space and are more abstract and more about the marks made by the medium. In many of the monotypes, Degas has worked over them extensively with pastel making them more obviously impressionist drawings. The purer monotype versions remind me to a certain extent of Turner's sketchbooks in their simplicity. 
In the example below, the subject matter can be just about read with reference to the title but is not explicitly stated. 

(11) The Road in the Forest (la Route dans la Forêt) 1890
(Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum)

In contrast -  figure 12 has been worked into with pastel and the drawing made much more legible. The shimmering dots of colour are quite beautiful but this owes more to the pastel drawing rather than the underlying monotype:

(12) Landscape with Rocks (Paysage avec rochers). 1892
Pastel over monotype in oil on paper
(High Museum of Art, Atlanta)

Take a close look at one or two of his prints, print them out and annotate them. 

I have annotated some prints in my sketchbook:

(13)Woman in a bathtub (Femme au Bain) c 1880-85 (private collection)

• Subtractive (dark ground) monoprint
• Landscape format
• Rim of bath draws eye in circular motion
• Taps draw eye back onto the woman
• Focal points - face (highlight on ear), foot
• Arm washing leg creates diagonal up towards the foot. 
• Light source in upper left but generally very dark
• large vocabulary of marks
• light brush marks in the background
• Bright contrasting lines on tap reflective surface poss made with a piece of card or a palette knife?
• Back part of bath probably rubbed with a rag
• Stippled effect on face ? tip of a stiff brush or small spatters of solvent?
• More distinct brush marks in the water
• Foreground edge of bath and highlights on foot probably made with a brush handle
• Face primitive (neanderthal/simian)
• Hands and feet are chunky and clumsy 
• Analogy between the wiping action of the woman and that of the artist

(14) Woman in her Bath, Sponging her Leg (Femme dans son bain s'épongeant la jambe)
c 1880-85 (Musée d'Orsay, Paris)

• Cognate overdrawn with pastel
• Very different to the first impression - 'prettified'
• Much more light flooding in and reflecting from the water - daylight - the other looks nocturnal
• Face hands and feet are more refined
• Taps are missing and bath is a narrower ellipse
• Does not engage with viewer only her own body
• Looks like she is really getting clean - in the other the water is murky
• ? less of an honest impression of the brothel scene-made more palatable deliberately
• Less raw/base

What can you learn from his prints?

I have enjoyed researching this subject and there are several points I can take away from this in going forward:

• Keep trying! Degas learned to handle his medium by being prolific and pushing forward
• Try diluting the ink more and making washes in additive monoprints
• Stiff, viscous ink is good for subtractive work
• Use a combination of both additive and subtractive- keep manipulating the ink until you get what you want
• Consider the effect of the texture of the paper and exploit this where appropriate
• Oil paints on their own will produce an oily halo
• It is possible to build up a large vocabulary of marks with simple tools
• Dark ground monoprints are especially good for tonal contrast
• It is not necessary to be too literal in your drawing (nor is it often possible)
• Chance will play its part - is is not always possible to entirely predict what will appear when pulling a print- things can change in the press or hand printing process

References:

(1) R. Kendall, "An Anarchist in Art: Degas and the Monotype" in "Degas: A Strange New Beauty" J. Hauptman . MoMA, New York, USA 2016 pp 20-36

(2) J. Hauptmann, "Introduction" in Degas: A Strange New Beauty" J. Hauptman . MoMA, New York, USA 2016 pp 12-19

(3) K. Buchberg and L. Neufield, "Indelible Ink: Degas's Methods and Materials" in "Degas: A Strange New Beauty" J. Hauptman . MoMA, New York, USA 2016 pp 47-53

(4) J. Beyer "Movement and Landscape" in "Degas: A Strange New Beauty" J. Hauptman . MoMA, New York, USA 2016 pp 177-179

(5) R. Rexer "Stockings and Mirrors" in "Degas: A Strange New Beauty" J. Hauptman . MoMA, New York, USA 2016 pp 137-141

Image Sources:

(1) https://images.nga.gov/en/search/do_quick_search.html?q=%221964.8.1782%22

(2) https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr54cULyRFbAGCWw0w7Z-SNkwWWi6crblVPp7Q_l4A_Sj_kW3LwVFCSXxVNm70WmFklltFrBFqRGA92862dA6BBXrG8Es4HAsUb1Q0EgSQjp64r7G2yiBjyjjwma2FRP0kBf-de33lQS4/s1600/2.+headsofamanandawoman.jpg

(3) https://static01.nyt.com/images/2016/03/25/arts/25DEGASJP1/25DEGASJP1-superJumbo-v3.jpg

(4)http://assets1.bigthink.com/system/tinymce_assets/2545/original/paulineandvirginieconversing.jpg?1462193990

(5) http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/images/hb/hb_1972.636.jpg

(6)http://www.frick.org/sites/default/files/exhibitions/objects/Clark_09_1955_1386_Final_2000.jpg

(7)https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrZnpQkV8WDzf1bx9P5937a7GUHibU6xCuMal4k-Ds3pxsWsLTiwkx-JVb208OU5-l1hM9o0yiASB5jbTQIyeX-zqcf21158CifRjz5f0noI6KZK8cgxD2ZTmt4RFUrqlFzYHv7vc6LRg/s1600/5.+++balletscene.jpg

(8) https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CfdO2S3XEAAR_AA.jpg

(9)http://65.media.tumblr.com/7f64d835a0d0bbbd685de891f9995df9/tumblr_inline_nnf6r8FzT51t5b0i6_1280.jpg

(10)https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/0c/6f/d5/0c6fd552f60c86b2d4a6b6441fd72e6d.jpg

(11)http://ids.lib.harvard.edu/ids/view/17825801?width=3000&height=3000

(12)http://1vze7o2h8a2b2tyahl3i0t68.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/moma_degas_landscapewithrocks-e1459528081497.jpg


(13)https://modernartnotespodcast.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/degas-woman_in_a_bathtub-c-1880-85.jpg?w=1100

(14)https://modernartnotespodcast.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/degas-woman_in_her_bath-c-1880-85.jpg?w=1100